Articulated dancing toy



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Feb. 23, 1949 INVEN TOR.

l V/L 502 M. HU TH Afforne y Feb. 12, w M, T 2,585,467

ARTICULATED DANCING TOY Filed Feb. 25, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 32 J W F 1 0 [30 w l 23 24 an n //[l I I] 22 I 27 INVENTOR.

l V/L BUR M- HUTH A ffor'ng Patented Feb. 12, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE ARTICULATED DANCING TOY Wilbur M. Huth, Akron, Ohio Application February 23, 1949, Serial No. 77,813

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an articulated dancing toy for amusement.

One object of the present invention is to provide a toy of the character described, including improved means by which an articulated figure will simulate life-like dancing movements which though rhythmic are substantially unpredictable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy of the character described, including improved means for varying the characteristics or tempo of said dancing movements.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, illustrating an improved dancing toy embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-section, taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross-section taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates an articulated figure of a man, including a body II, a head I2, and pairs of suitably jointed legs I3 and arms l4 pivoted onto the body. The figure may be attractively decorated in any suitable manner.

For supporting the figure ID in upright position, an elongated recess l6 extends vertically from the underside of body II for relatively loose reception of the upper end portion of a rod H, which is vertically reciprocally received in an elongated guide passage I8 through a top panel I9 of a box or casing 20, and the lower end of the rod rests on a top face of an elongated fiat spring member 2| extending freely in horizontal direction from a point of support at one side of said casing.

The spring member 2| is secured at said point of support by having an integral angular extension 22 thereof bolted to panel 23 at a point 24 substantially below a horizontal plane of the member, so that by adjustment of a screw 24 threaded through panel 23 and into yielding engagement with the extension 22, the angular relation of the member with respect to the horizontal is easily adjusted for purposes to be described later. A knob 25 provided at the outer end of screw 24 facilitates adjustment of the angle of member 2| from a point exteriorly of the box.

The top panel of the box l9, if not the complete platform or sounding board, upon which the figure may be caused to dance by vertical reciprocation of the rod H, the position of the figure being such that the toe portions of the pivoted feet'26 will engage the platform in the manner of a tap or clog dancer, and said reciprocation of the rod being accomplished by rapid vibratory movement of spring member 2|. To provide this vibratory motion to member 2| a cam 21, rapidly rotated by a battery operated motor 28, has a projecting cam portion 29 intermittently engageable withthe underside of the spring member, toward the freely extending end thereof. The arrangement is such that such intermittent engagement of the cam portion 29 with the spring, which need not always be with each revolution of the cam, is effective to provide a varying vibratory action to the spring and a correspondingly varying vertical reciprocation to the rod Rapid bouncing reciprocation of the rod vith the figure thereon is effective to cause the igure to fling its arms and legs in varying directions while the feet 26 produce a rhythmic tap--r ping sound on the platform l9.

Power to motor 28 is provided by battery means 30, releasably secured in a suitable contact bracket 3| mounted in the bottom of the casing, the battery means being wired to the motor 28 through a suitable two-way switch 32 of known type, manually operable to run the motor in forward or reverse. By providing a non-symmetrical cam projection 29, reversal of the motor will be effective to change the tempo or characteristics of the dancing movements of Figure 10. This variation in action of the toy is in addition to the changes wh ch are made possible by adjustment of screw 24 to vary the vibratory movement of the spring.

In use of the toy for amusement it is operated by closing the switch 32 to run motor28 in one direction or the other. Resulting rotational movement of the cam portion 29 against spring 2| thereby vibrates the spring member vertically about a point at the inner end thereof, as indicated in full and chain-dotted lines in Figure 1. As previously described, vibration of spring member 2| is effective to reciprocate or bounce the rod I! in a rhythmic though unpredictable manner, and thereby provides corresponding vertical movement of the figure, which causes the jointed arms and legs to move about and the pivoted feet to tap on the platform, substantially in the manner of a tap or clog dancer. Many variations of the dancing movements are obtainable by changing the direction of operation of motor 28, or by adjusting the screw 24 to vary the vibration of spring member 2|, or by doing both of these things.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An animated toy comprising a jointed figure, a platform havinga guide passage therethrough, means for supporting: said" platform in 1 horizontal position, a flat spring element mounted on a relatively fixed portion of said supporting means beneath the level of said platform to extend freely in a horizontal plane, a rod verticallyreceived through said passage in the platform and supporting said jointed figure at the upper end thereof, the lower end of said rod engaging the top face of said fiat spring element, and the rod and jointed figure thereby being gravitationally supported by said fiat springv element adjacent said fieeendfa rotarymember"'havingtl'iereon a cam" portion 'iritermittently engageable with the bottom facefof 'saidfiatspring element upon rotation of the membeigimeans for rotating said ro'- tary' member forintermittent engagement of said camiportionlthereof'withzsaid flat spring element to. vibrate the same and thereby through reciprocating'vertical movement of said rod to cause articulationrof saidjointed figure, said means for rotating including anelectric motor, dry-cell battery'means, an electrical circuit between said m'otoran'd said battery'means, and contact means in said circuitselectively operable to open and close thesame;

2; An animated toy'comprising a'jointed figure, a platform having'a guide passage therethrough, means for supporting said platform in horizontal position; afiat'spring elementmountedon a relativelyfixed portion ofsaid supporting means beneath the level of-said platform to extend freely in horizontal direction, a rod vertically received through said passagein the platform and supportingsaidjointed figure at the upper end thereof, the lower end of said rod'engaging said flat'spring element, and the-rod and jointed figure thereby being gravitationally supported-by said fiat spring element, adjacent said free end, a rotary member having a portion intermittently engageable with said fiat spring element upon rotation 'of the member, means forrotatingsaid rotary member for'intermittent engagement of said portion there of with said flat spring element to vibrate the same-and thereby through reciprocating vertical movement of said rod to cause articulation of said jointed figure, means being provided for manual adjustment of said element to vary the vibratory movement thereof.

3. An articulated figure toy,"comprising a casing including a horizontal platform top having a guide aperture therethrough, a: flat spring mounted=to arelatively' fixed portion of said casingto extend in horizontal direction with the free end portion thereof in vertical" alignment with said guide aperture, a rod vertically slidably received through said guide aperture and bein gravitationally supported at its lower end by the free end portion of said spring, a cam rotatably mounted in said casing to have a projection rotated against the underside of said spring to vibrate the same vertically. and thereby tovibrate said rod vertically, electrical means for rotating saidcam, a figure including a body and jointed appendages thereon, said body being gravitationally supported on the upper end of said rod with end portions ofioneonmoreof the appendages engageable with saidplatform, means manually operable exteriorlyof" said casing for varying the angularity of saidspring from; the horizontal and thereby to vary the degree of vibration thereof.

4; A dancing figure toy, comprising a support including a horizontal platform having a guide portion; r a fiat spring mounted on a relatively fixed portion of said supporting means beneath said platform to extend freely-in horizontal directionwiththe'irce end portion thereof-in align-- ment with said guide portion; a rod verticallyslidaiily: received in said guide portion and being-- gravitationally supported at its'lower end by thefree: end portion of said spring, an electric motor having'a driven shaft, cam meanson saidshaftto be rotatable thereby to vibrate saidspring vertically and thereby tovibrate said rod vertically; a jointed figure including a: bodyand appendages thereon', said body being gravitationallysupported on the upper endof: said rod, battery means to operate said motonswitcli means,- electricai connectionsbetween saidswitch, battery means; and motor for operating the motor, said switch and electrical connections including means to' provide forward and reverse operation of said motor and saidcam projection being-non uniform to impart different vibratory action to saidhspringnfor opposite directions of rotation of said cam;

WILBUR M. HUTH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:-

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 18,239 Yates Oct. 27, 1931 171,216 DeForrest Dec. 21, 1875 832,196 Husted Oct. 2, 1906 1,187,798 Carruthers et a1. June 20,1916 1207,022 Green Dec. 5, 1916 1,617,126 Kurten Feb18, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country" Date 16,599 Great Britain A. D. 1893 

